In Memoriam: Otto Feirskov Andreasen

 We have received word from one of our patrons that an early VO board president, Otto Feirskov Andreasen, died recently at his home in Denmark at the age of 90.   

He was president of the Vancouver Opera Board of Directors from 1963-1965, a time of tremendous excitement for the company, including the historic production of Norma starring Joan Sutherland and staged by artistic founder Irving Guttman.

Joan Sutherland in Norma - 1963
Photo by Barry Glass

Mr. Andreasen started his career in The East Asiatic Company in Denmark in 1938 and in 1948 he was transferred to the company’s Vancouver-based Canadian operations that included Tahsis Company’s pulp mill, sawmills and logging operations on Vancouver Island.  After twenty years he returned to EAC’s head office in Copenhagen in 1968 where he took various senior executive positions including managing director.

Irving Guttman
Photo by Barry Glass

It is important that we always remember – and THANK – those pioneers who established the opera company in 1960, and shepherded it through its early years.  

Anything that we are as a company today is because of those who have gone before. 

While we send our condolences to Mr. Andreasen’s family, we appreciate the opportunity to reflect back on our company’s extraordinary history.

- James Wright, General Director

Maestro Darlington in London

Jonathan Darlington

Vancouver Opera’s Music Director Jonathan Darlington has arrived in London, Ontario to conduct the National Youth Orchestra of Canada’s 2011 tour. The project begins with a “boot camp” in London before moving on to Stratford Summer Music 2011.  

Other stops on the orchestra’s 2011 tour include Ottawa (July 27), Brockville (Aug. 7) and Kingston (Aug. 8) before it ends at Toronto's Koerner Hall on Aug. 9.  Unfortunately for us in the west, the tour concentrates on the centre of the country (other tours have played in BC). Our friend Jacques Lacombe, who is conducting this fall’s Romeo et Juliette for VO, has also conducted the Youth Orchestra.

Sharman King

Jonathan arrived at the "boot camp" in London from recent appearances with The Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dresden Semperoper.  He was last in Vancouver for last winter’s La Clemenza di Tito.

We are all so pleased that Jonathan was able to come back to Canada for this tour. "We are delighted to add maestro Jonathan Darlington to our roster of internationally-renowned conductors," said NYOC executive director Barbara Smith. 

Vancouver Opera Orchestra trombonist Sharman King is on the NYOC board of directors, which is chaired by Vancouver arts enthusiast David Lemon.

Note:  I have quoted from The London Free Press, which was sent to me by former VO employee Brenda Corby, for this posting.

- James Wright, General Director

The O’Brian Centre for Vancouver Opera Is Open for Business!

This morning, Vancouver Opera staff came to work in our new all-inclusive opera centre, The Michael & Inna O’Brian Centre for Vancouver Opera.

Located at 1945 McLean Drive (at 3^rd Avenue, one block east of Clark), the O’Brian Centre for Vancouver Opera houses orchestra and chorus rehearsal space, a vocal and instrumental coaching room, costuming department, scenery and properties storage and workshop, meeting rooms, and all administrative offices including box office and call centre.   

 

Thanks to Inna and Michael O’Brian for their generous gift in support of this exciting new space; we will be recognizing other generous donors as well in the weeks ahead.

After starting the morning gorging on pastries from Fratelli Authentic Italian Baking and receiving a brief orientation (where are the coffee filters? the recycling bins? my desk?) we all have begun unpacking and getting organized. 

The wardrobe department move is huge:  boxes and boxes of dresses and ball gowns, fabrics, sewing machines, lace, buttons, top hats, feathers….  The library move is heavy:  imagine hundreds of CDs, piano/vocal scores, orchestra music, and a smattering of LPs….  More on these areas and others in a future posting.  For now, we are happy to be here, to have our computers and phones up and running, and to have navigated a commuter route to our new home!

Kudos to Minister Chong!

Kudos to BC Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Ida Chong for providing the second-highest level of funding ever to the British Columbia Arts Council: $16,831,000, equal to the amount funded in 2008-09 before the drastic funding cuts to the BC cultural community.

This is a very good sign for the new Premiere and her team. The Alliance for Arts and Culture responded by stating,

“(the government’s) efforts and attention to this critical issue, at a time of great challenges, is much appreciated by our hundreds of members in the Lower Mainland. I am sure that the millions of British Columbians that comprise our collective audiences, communities, and families are equally grateful.”

Minister Chong stated in the announcement,

“Arts in British Columbia enrich families and support careers, while infusing creative and economic energy into communities in every region of the province. We will continue to work with artists and cultural organizations through the BC Arts Council, our principal development and funding agency for the arts, to build on British Columbia’s well-deserved international reputation for artistic excellence.”

I am particularly happy to hear the Minister say that the BC Arts Council is the “principal development and funding agency for the arts,” as there have been many times in the recent past when such sentiment was not expressed and presumably not shared by provincial government officials. I have observed the work of the BCAC close-up and know that it employs a far superior mechanism for funding cultural grants than does the direct involvement of politicians.

The BC Art Council’s $16.831 million 2011-12 budget consists of $7.931 million from the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, $2.150 million from the BC150 Cultural Fund (a $150-million interest-generating endowment fund), and $6.75 million from the 2010 Sport and Arts Legacy (visit the BCAC site for more info.).

From 2001 until March 31, 2011, the BC Arts Council granted $152 million to artists and cultural organizations in British Columbia. Vancouver Opera is a beneficiary of grant money from the Council, but only after we pass a rigorous review by Council staff and an independent peer advisory committee. There is no assumption that, because we received funding in a given year, we will be equally awarded in another year. I have served on grants panels in the past, and can attest to their rigor, fairness, and dedication to the task.

I hope that Minister Chong’s support, along with our Premiere’s announcement of a gaming grant review, signals that the government is willing to open a new and necessary dialogue with the province’s arts and culture community. We are not a greedy community; we know as well as anyone the financial challenges facing the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, and we want to be at the table helping to craft creative solutions. Restoration of funding to the 2008-09 level is an excellent beginning to the dialogue.

- James W. Wright, General Director

Someone's in the kitchen with....me!

I have really gotten myself in the soup… naively agreeing with the irresistible Barbara-Jo McIntosh, of that wonderful store Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks, to “participate” in a little fund- and friend-raising event for Vancouver Opera. Before I knew what hit me, I had agreed to preside over her in-store kitchen for an evening of food and the arts, based around the witty American writer Pat Conroy’s eponymous new cookbook.

Because I spent ten years living in the South – Charlotte, North Carolina to be precise - and because I really love to eat, and because I exaggerate my abilities as a cook to those I think that will impress, I have found myself “hosting” an event this Tuesday evening. As we progressed in the planning of this little soiree, I imagine that reality began to dawn on Barbara-Jo and she has wisely filled out the evening’s personnel with people who actually know what they’re doing: there will be a real chef to cook the difficult dishes!

Friend Mollie Massie will be reading selections from the cookbook (which is much more than just a collection of recipes) in her authentic Southern voice with her authentic Southern charm, and Jim Byrnes will provide the live music.

At one point I thought I was really home free, and would only have to stand around and lend my august presence to this gathering….but no. I was recently informed that I would be cooking some of the dishes after all, with Chef Glenys supervising and doing the real work. So earlier this week I lured friends over for the very yummy Country Ham with Bourbon Glaze, which turned out very well (who can argue with bourbon and maple syrup?). This weekend I am enticing more unsuspecting friends over for my first-ever attempt for gumbo (with shrimp, crabmeat, andouille sausage, bacon, a whole chicken…) and a grits casserole made enticing by the addition of a bit of heavy cream.

I am a fair cook, and quite excited to be cooking and visiting with folks this coming Tuesday evening – I’m pretty relaxed about it all because I know that whatever I might attempt to do or not do, Chef Glenys and Barbara-Jo will be right there and everything will be scrumptious and the whole evening will be a fun-filled success. Bon appetit!

There may be room for a couple of more adventurous souls – if interested, here are the details:

Vancouver Opera Fundraiser with Jim Wright
Tuesday, March 29, 6:30 p.m.

Food and the Arts have always shared a special bond. This evening we celebrate both at a fundraising dinner theatre for Vancouver Opera.

This evening James Wright, General Director of Vancouver Opera, joins us in the kitchen for a festive evening of fine food and drink and the arts. Jim, an enthusiastic cook, will be behind the hob cooking a fine menu from The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes and Stories of My Life by Pat Conroy. An evening at the opera would not be complete without music and drama so this evening will feature live music with Jim Byrnes and readings from The Pat Conroy Cookbook by Mollie Massie. Proceeds will be donated to Vancouver Opera.

Guests: 20 Cost: $195.00 (The evening includes a copy of The Pat Conroy Cookbook).

For more info or reservations call Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks: 604-688-6755

Voices of the Pacific Rim

Vancouver Opera produced a wonderful concert last Sunday evening at the Playhouse Theatre: Voices of the Pacific Rim.

This concert is unique in our city. Combining eastern and western vocal traditions in a concert setting is the sort of adventurous engagement of our diverse communities that excites all of us at Vancouver Opera.

In all likelihood not a single person in Sunday night’s audience was familiar with every selection – I certainly was not. And I am even more certain that no one had ever heard them performed together on the same program by such youthful, engaging talent. Sunday evening’s Voices of the Pacific Rim cross-cultural meeting was respectful, engrossing and rewarding, and serves as an example of what is possible in the arts and essential to our lives.

The evening was a success because of the incredibly hard work and enthusiasm – and vision – of a special group of volunteers headed by our board member Stephanie Chung with lots of strong support from her fellow directors Yoshiko Karasawa and Julia Kim, and a host of other staff and volunteers – and of course the wonderful artists who performed.

To give an idea of the selections on the concert, here are a few: "Pace, Pace Mio Dio" from La Forza del Destino; "Je Veux Vivre" from Romeo et Juliette; “The Song of the Cherry Shell” (traditional Japanese song); "Glitter and be Gay" from Candide, "O Soave Fanciulla" from La Boheme; “The Never-setting Sun Rises Over the Prairie” by Jiang Dawei; The Queen of the Night’s aria from The Magic Flute, and “In the Memory of the Mountain” by Young Sub Choi. What a diverse repertoire!

The wonderful Canadian artists performing were Tina Chang, Evanna Chiew, Jihwan Cho, Caroline Yoonkyoung Jang, Teiya Kasahara, Brian Kwangmin Lee, Rose-Ellen Nichols, and Xiao Dong Zhang. Our special guest soprano from Korea was Young Mi Kim. Kinza Tyrrell was the music director and Gina Oh curated the program.

I left the theatre being very proud of our Canadian talent, grateful for our dedicated volunteers, and happy to be associated with Vancouver Opera.

- James W. Wright, General Director, Vancouver Opera

Farewell, db Burger!

Tuesday evening a friend and I made a beeline to db Bistro Moderne for a final visit; the bistro and sister restaurant Lumière are closing March 13. I just had to have the famous – some would say infamous – original db Burger. When would the chance come again?

For those who don’t know, this is an amazing meal: a lump of foie gras and a chunk of truffle-marinated braised short rib packed inside a globe of ground prime sirloin - on a bun, with a side of perfect fries.It’s not priced like any burger at a fast food joint, and it prompted me to double up on the anti-gout pills, but definitely a “burger and fries” meal to be consumed with relish at least once.

As if the db Burger itself were not enough reason to make the trip to the west side, I wanted to tip my hat to Manjy and David Sidoo, partners in the restaurant with Daniel Boulud.

Manjy and David are great friends of Vancouver Opera and have given their support in so many ways – including an annual event at Lumière and db Bistro featuring wondrous food, music, creative cocktails, and conviviality, all in support of Vancouver Opera’s education programs.Manjy, as a member of the opera company’s board of directors is involved in other projects as well, but their signature event at Lumière and db Bistro Moderne was a much-anticipated, much-appreciated and very enjoyable way to help bring opera to students across the province. I salute them and thank them.

- James W. Wright, VO's General Director

Great Art Stirs Passion

VO's General Director, James W. Wright, is a contributor to the Vancouver Sun's Community of Interest blog. Here's an excerpt from his latest post on why it's important to create - and support - new works of art.

It is the job of “art” not only to entertain, soothe, or comfort, but also to suggest, provoke, inspire, or “connect the dots” for us. Its job is also to remind us of who we are, whence we came, and where we might yet go. The great works of Verdi, Carr and Mahler do this. So do the exciting new works of art currently being created by Canadians and presented in theatres, galleries, and opera houses across our land. I encourage everyone to experience and support these new works. In doing so, we all help to define our still-evolving Canadian culture.

Read the rest over at The Vancouver Sun!

The G-G’s Performing Arts Awards Feature Vancouver’s Own Moh And Yulanda Faris

I was in Ottawa last weekend on a very sweet errand: I was honored to present Moh and Yulanda Faris with the 2010 Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts, one of the Governor-General’s Performing Arts Awards that recognize "outstanding lifetime contributions to Canada's cultural life." My presentation was part of a Gala Concert honoring all the Performing Arts Award recipients.

The Faris family has supported numerous Vancouver arts organizations, including the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver Opera, Vancouver International Writers' Festival, Bard on the Beach, Vancouver Symphony, Vancouver Children's Festival and the Downtown Women's Eastside Centre.

Mohammed Faris, an engineer and real estate developer, helped establish the $11-million Scotiabank Dance Centre, which opened in 2001. Yulanda Faris currently chairs the Vancouver Opera Foundation and is a former president of the board of Vancouver Opera; she also serves on the Dean's advisory board of the UBC Faculty of Arts. The Farises established the Judith Forst Fund for Young Singers several years ago as a result of their passion for assisting and advancing young artists.

It would have been plenty more than good enough to have been there for the Farises, but the icing on the cake was being part of a larger, all-Canadian celebration. Other recipients were singers Bryan Adams and Buffy Sainte-Marie, Quebec theatre artist Francoise Faucher, choreographer Edouard Lock (of La La La Human Steps fame), actor and director Robin Phillips, and Toronto Symphony's Managing Director (1962-87) Walter Homburger.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducted our Faust

Young Canadian phenom conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin was named winner of the 2010 National Arts Centre Award. He was unable to attend as he is on tour with the Rotterdam Philharmonic. He conducted Vancouver Opera’s Faust in 2006.

Nézet-Séguin told CBC News he thinks this kind of award focuses attention on classical music and shows it is not just for an elite. "We are not searching for those awards, but when they come, it is with a realization that we have an impact on the lives of Canadians, whether we are in Canada or not," he said.

I Get to Meet Buffy

I don’t consider myself a groupie of any kind, but I admit I was really excited to meet Buffy Sainte-Marie, shake her hand and tell her how much I’ve loved her art and her work over the years. She was very gracious – and looked like a million bucks!

Sainte-Marie emerged as a singer-songwriter and activist in the 1960s, with songs such as Until It's Time for You to Go, Universal Soldier and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. In 1981, she won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for the song Up Where We Belong, written for the film An Officer and a Gentleman. In 2009, she released Running for the Drum, which won a Juno and four Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards.

Bryan Adams - who needs no introduction from me! - surprised everyone by appearing on stage and playing two or three of his best-known hits at the end of the evening, sending the tuxedo-clad audience over the top and out of their seats!

~ James W. Wright, General Director